At Mary’s Pence, we believe communities are strongest when every voice is honored and uplifted — through culture, history, and identity. Here are five organizations that Mary’s Pence has recently funded that put their community heritage at the center of their work.
For the North Carolina Hmong Women’s Association, Kind Hearted Women’s Society, South Asian Women Project, and Sacramento Poderosas, justice is rooted in their peoples’ traditions, languages, and lived experiences.
In South Dakota, the Kind Hearted Women’s Society is an Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing Lakota culture. Traditional practices, such as regalia making, storytelling, and sacred ceremonies, are combined with modern advocacy and leadership opportunities to inspire self-determination and resilience among girls and women.
The North Carolina Hmong Women Association empowers Hmong women and girls in North Carolina to lead happy, healthy, and fulfilled lives. Through programs in health and wellness, mentoring and leadership, and civic engagement, they strengthen voices and build skills for advocacy and community impact.
In New York, the South Asian Women Project recognizes that survivors of intimate partner violence face unique barriers when language, immigration status, and cultural stigma are involved. By offering trauma-informed counseling, legal advocacy, and financial empowerment in Bengali, they provide support that feels safe and accessible.
In California, Sacramento Poderosas use art as a form of activism, creating murals that highlight the stories and cultures of Indigenous and Latinx women. Their work demonstrates how art can challenge stereotypes, spark conversations, and foster a sense of community pride.
Supporters make it possible for Mary’s Pence to fund groups that prioritize culturally sensitive healing that mainstream services often overlook.
*Photo caption: Kind Hearted Women’s Society speaking on a panel about gun violence affecting our youth in our community.